Is natural birth better than Caesarean?

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Have you heard about how natural birthing is better than having a C-section but are not sure why? Find out what’s getting the experts to advise more women to opt for natural labour instead of a Caesarean section.

Is natural birth better than C-sections? Why is it so?

In comparing the two birthing processes, many mums agree that natural birth is their preferred choice over having a Caesarean section. For those who are open to both, though, experts have recently started encouraging mothers to have a natural birth instead of a C-section. We tell you why the experts say that natural births are better than C-sections.

Lower likelihood of infections

As compared to vaginal deliveries, C-sections put mums in more more vulnerable state as they are more prone to scarring and infections around their wounds. If not cared for properly, the C-section cut might promote bacterial infections which would be very harmful for a mother who had just delivered.

Better contact between baby and mother

At the International Conference On Birth Without Borders in Malaysia held by the Malaysian Breastfeeding Association, the Malaysian Health Ministry and the International Mother-Baby Friendly Initiative Coalition, childbirth and midwifery expert Dr Robbie Davis-Floyd said that C-sections might be detrimental to the contact between a mother and newborn, affecting bonding and breastfeeding processes thereafter too.

According to Dr Davis-Floyd, when a baby is born naturally and first touched by its mother, the mother’s bacteria “colonises” the baby. This bacteria is necessary for the baby as he or she grows up with their mother.

For a baby born via Caesarean, the bacteria that “colonises” the child is that of the nurse’s of the doctor’s, making the child less used to its own mother’s bacteria and in the long run causing him or her to be more susceptible to illnesses while growing up in their own homes. This lack of contact indirectly causes many diseases and ailments later in a baby’s life.